


Set in Stone

by Sedusa



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, But if you're truly unfamiliar with the Idols please see the Carrd in the AN, Certainly not enough to warrant including it in the fandom tag, Cults, F/F, F/M, I'm... having a very difficult time tagging actually, M/M, Mentions of a coup, Multicultural, Multimedia, Multiverse, Patricide, Power Dynamics, Set in the Past, Snapshots, Technically related to Be More Chill the musical but the mentions are very brief, This should be fine for beginners to this verse, Wedding, lore expansion, playlist fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28713369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sedusa/pseuds/Sedusa
Summary: It seemed like every party was marred with incomprehensible whispers trailing each guest; Archelaus could never hear enough to make out the details, but, clearly, something was wrong.“[Ask],” suggested Jehova, standing to his side. “[If they refuse to tell you, kill them.]”“[That’s bad for morale.]”“[So is a Godhead that refuses to lead.]”(Set in the Idolverse)
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1
Collections: Idol Hands





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vanceypants](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanceypants/gifts).



> This is a series of snapshots for one multiverse version of Archelaus Idolodulia, a scientist, father, and the current reigning Godhead.
> 
> A glossary of terms is provided here at the start. You can also check out the Carrd I made for this series here: https://idolodulia.carrd.co/
> 
> Also: when a character is speaking a language besides English, as is usually the case with Archie and Jehova, their dialogue is put between brackets (I usually use the Less and More Than Symbols, but as they're used for formatting by AO3, I had to swap them out for the description box).

Set in Stone, a playlist outline. 

_To get the most out of this fic, please listen to the song included with each section; don't move on until after the song is over. Thank you._

**Glossary Terms** :

  * [Idolodulia](https://idolodulia.carrd.co/) is both a family term and a surname 
    * IE: "the Idols" is used to describe both the Branch Family as a whole and has been taken as the Main Family’s surname.
  * The Head of the Main family is traditionally referred to as the Godhead. 
    * In order to become Godhead the traditional way, you need to kill the previous one--usually a parent, often one's own father.
    * The firstborn (or the one deemed most fitting in a set of twins, triplets, etc) are called the Heir, whether a Godhead or the Head of another Branch.
    * **The current Godhead is Archelaus Idolodulia.**
  * Aunts and Uncles are the Heads of the different branches. 
    * Their first-borns, like in the main branch, are also called Heirs.
    * All children in the family are considered Cousins (or Nieces and Nephews to the actual Heads).
  * An Idol Century is the term for the clump of Eras that each version of the Godhead line is in power for. 
    * IE: Archelaus’s rule is the ███ Era, and it’s the Third of his families’ Century. His Grandfather, having been just another Uncle prior to it, is the one who took the throne and made their family the main branch
  * False Prophets are past Godhead’s. 
    * "If they were true Gods, they’d still be alive"; considering the traditionally atheist nature of the family, it's all very tongue in cheek. 
      * This is part of why a lot of different Archelaus' in the multiverse become obsessed with Immortality Technology.
  * Divine/Divinity are loose terms pertaining to the main branch and the Godhead status itself. 
    * IE: "She wants Divinity, but the idea of fighting Archelaus for it is less-than-ideal.” 
      * If you weren’t born into the main branch before taking the throne, you aren’t Divine (unless you're married in or become the Godhead).
      * Main branch children are considered Minor Deities. When someone takes their power away, they’re considered Fallen Angels. 
  * Every Head--but especially the Godhead--is expected to find and claim a Bride for themselves, as they are often tasked with the negotiations and ambassador communication that the Head can't handle themselves. 
    * Considering the size of the family, that is actually a lot of responsibilities; if you're a Head, you can't choose your Bride lightly. You have to trust them and they have to trust you. 
      * This doesn't mean you have to like or love each other, though.
    * There are gender implications to the term, but in practice, it's gender-neutral--though yes, there's still a gender bias in the way Brides are seen as Submissive Conquests to the Head.
    * Heads are also expected to have Heirs, and if you're a Head that's not married to the one who helped you create your Heir, it's considered incredibly scandalous; currently, Godhead's are required to have their Heir's with their Brides.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cover art is an edited version of this photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aughnanure_Castle#/media/File:Aughnanure_Castle_(pixinn.net).jpg


	2. Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very brief timeline of Archelaus's life. The years listed in bold will be our focus.

  * 1969: Our Divine Godhead was born in a set of triplets under the name Archelaus [redacted] Idolodulia.
  * **1987: He took the throne and ended the ███ Era of the ███ Century at age 18.**
  * **1990: He learned of his first power challenge brewing at age 21.**
  * **1991: He squashed the threat and took his Bride at age 22.**
  * 1997: He began testing new technology (under the label S.Q.U.I.P) with an inherited company (HVN) at age 28.
  * 1998: His Twin Heirs were born at age 29.
  * 2004: His S.Q.U.I.P tech moved to the Beta Phase at age 35.
  * 2005: Christopher was born at age 36.
  * 2005: Project █████████ was begun and later completed at age 36.
  * 2005: A very busy year indeed, his Bride also died of unknown causes at age 36.
  * 2013: He adopted his final child, a Trophy, at age 44.
  * 2019: His heir and his heir’s Bride fall victim to a tragic accident at age 50.
  * 2020: A Miracle befitting a God-King brings back both his Heir and his Heir’s Bride at age 51.
  * 2021: He proposes to his new Bride-to-be at age 52.




	3. Messiah Ward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They keep bringin' out the dead now,_   
>  _And it's easy just to look away_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Messiah Ward, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

Jehova wiped the blood from his blade on the stiff fabric of his jeans, then slid it back into his sheath. “ _[_ _ Congratulations, dear Brother. You’re the new Godhead.] _ ”

  * The battle was long but decisive. He left no survivors; choosing not to inherit even his father’s personal guard, he slaughtered anyone whose loyalties might stray. All that remained was a handful of terrified maids, his brothers, and the watchdogs.
    * His father was only kept alive long enough to suffer the pain Archie’d always dreamed of inflicting upon him.
    * He definitely cut off all his limbs… well, they. Jehova helped!
      * By helped, I mean he was instrumental in making this work.



Thus begins the ███ Era of the ███ Century; the False Prophet is dead, the new Godhead has been established, all is well.


	4. Nice to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Blessed she who clearly sees the wood for the trees,_   
>  _To obtain a 'bird's eye' is to turn a blizzard into a breeze_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Nice to Know You, by Incubus) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

It seemed like every party was marred with incomprehensible whispers trailing each guest; Archelaus could never hear enough to make out the details, but, clearly, something was wrong.

“ _ [Ask], _ ” suggested Jehova, standing to his side. “ _[_ _ If they refuse to tell you, kill them.] _ ”

“ _ [That’s bad for morale.] _ ”

“ _[_ _ So is a Godhead that refuses to lead.] _ ”

  * The next three years are simultaneously nauseatingly fast, and mind-numbingly slow.
    * Archie is quick to implement little changes that set the mood for his reign, such as imposing stricter restrictions on when it’s appropriate to kill your only heir. Some of these are a little more humane, some less, but they all mark a return to Formality over his father’s often lawless Barbarianism.
    * However, winning over the rest of his family with only his triplet as a confidante is incredibly difficult; the pressure to find a Bride--and to get to work on an heir eventually--is very real.
    * Archie quickly finds devoted followers, thankfully, like Onyx; they’d all clearly steal the throne if they could get away with it, but they also know none of them is more fit to lead (or protect themselves if they did), so they promise allyship instead.
  * His negotiations are marred by the rumblings of _trouble_ , however. Someone is planning… something.
    * Jehova, who’s done a lot of international outreach, is picking up similar waves.
  * This can’t be left to fester. They begin their investigation.




	5. Do Unto Others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It could've been me,_   
>  _It should've been me_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Do Unto Others, by Mindless Self Indulgence) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

In front of any other, she’d clearly steal your breath away.

Unfortunately, Archelaus wasn’t made to appreciate most forms of beauty. To him, ██████ was another ragdoll he’d seen across a ballroom, draped in her father and her father’s associates; her nails and her breasts and her ink-dipped eyelashes did little to mask the image of her vulnerability stained in the minds of everyone who watched her grow.

She laid down next to him on the Manor’s lawn, looking at the same stars he counted every evening. The party roared with life inside, but outside, they could breathe.

“ _ They want you dead, _ ” she whispered. “ _ But they could never win. I don’t want to throw my own life away for a pointless power grab. _ ”

  * One of Archelaus’s Bridal candidates approaches him in private during a party; she wastes no time telling him that her family is planning to overthrow his estate and take the Divinity for themselves
  * He’s always liked her, and this is why: it’s not that she’s acting out of loyalty, she accurately estimated how powerful he was and made the very intelligent decision to step aside. Her ass is covered better leaving him in power. He can respect that.




	6. Firestarter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'm the self-inflicted, mind detonator, yeah,_   
>  _I'm the one infected, twisted animator_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Firestarter, by The Prodigy) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

“ _ [Oh, how delightful, I love a good mystery.] _ ”

  * Putting Bridal efforts on hold, Archelaus and Jehova focus all their energy on her family and their company, ██████. Efforts to figure out what they specialize in turn up more questions than answers. 
    * If it’s technological, they’ve sold it. If it’s electrical, they’ve dabbled in it. No, no; this can’t be all.
  * After weeks of beating their head against a brick wall, Jehova manages to learn that they’ve asked about “forbidden” topics in the past--Idol Resources you can’t access without some extremely high-level permission. This is the breakthrough they needed as attempts to ask for clearance are always recorded in minute detail. All they have to do now is dig through the paperwork.
  * Evidently, her family has been trying to gain access to throne secrets for a while (20 years at least); Archie can’t imagine they’ve only _just_ decided on the coup method after all these years… but if they’d tried before, his father would’ve slaughtered them as soon as they even looked at him wrong.
  * There must be more than this.




	7. Narcissistic Cannibal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Narcissistic Cannibal, by Korn) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

  * Buried deep in decade-old rat shit are Japanese folders discussing exactly what Archelaus wanted to find. 
  * What they point to in his father’s relationship ledgers, however, he wished he hadn’t seen at all.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archelaus's bond with his mother and the absolute devastation of watching his father kill her is what prompted him to finally take the Godhead throne for himself.
> 
> Yet she hadn't been healthy enough for childbirth long before he'd been born...


	8. Mr. Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You must now face authority_   
>  _You're nothing like me_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Mr. Jack, by System of a Down) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

“ _[_ _ You don’t want to kill all of them.] _ ”

“ _ [Yes, I do.] _ ”

“ _ [No, you don’t. Ruining your reputation as a level-headed evolution from daddy dearest isn’t worth five seconds of revenge.] _ ”

“ _ [Someone has to die for their meddling, Jehova.] _ ”

“ _ [And someone will, brother, I promise. Perhaps even most of them...] _ ”

  * Archelaus and Jehova begin to plan out what they’ll do to fix this.
  * Heartbroken and furious, Archelaus insists on making an example out of them. Jehova talks him down just enough that they can find a logical path together.




	9. Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Hey you, you think you can_   
>  _Throw water on this fire, liar_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Liar, by Korn) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

“ _ Marriage? _ ”

██████ holds the card out for him. Archie takes it, blinking at the cutesy stationery and animal stickers covering every inch. 

“ _... you’re asking me to attend? _ ”

“ _ Well, she is, _ ” ██████ says, her face now a soft rose color. “ _ But _ I’m  _ asking for your permission. You’re the Godhead, and I’m going to become a Sister. I need you to say yes _ .”

“ _ I… yes. Of course. _ ” Archelaus breathed, blinking. Her lips twitched in some vague smile-like shape, and she leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

“ _ Thank you, Archelaus. _ ”

    * ██████ is getting married. Archie had not expected this.
      * She asks for his approval, which isn’t necessary, but it is a very respectful formality. 



  * _… this could be useful._



  * Archie grants the request. Though he won’t recognize it until later, his memories of this conversation are marred by guilt.




	10. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Here’s a little taste_   
>  _Of how it’s gonna be from now on_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Revenge, by Mindless Self Indulgence) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

  * It’s an absolutely massive affair, this wedding. Just over 300 people are attending, including every important member of this treacherous Branch.
  * ██████’s Bride-to-be is a very young cousin, or sister, or perhaps a neighbor girl. They look so similar. Archelaus tries not to stare. 
    * _They really do love each other, don’t they?_
  * The slaughter is swift, effective, and relatively painless… but also: utterly fucking terrifying.
    * Jehova contracted with Onyx for their weaponry, and five of Archelaus’s personal guard, the Shadow Knights, accompany them.
    * The Knights are only allowed to participate if the situation gets out of hand. Otherwise… well. Jehova and Archelaus? They fight together like two licks of a single flame--anyone else just gets in the way.
    * They start not with the Head, or the guests, but with the mid-rank. People that they can’t really afford to lose, but who don’t get the same fierce protection the Head does. It’s systematic.
    * The screaming only seems to grow with every death; even as the nonfamilial survivors are directed out of the Hall, the noise becomes near unbearable by the end.
  * It isn’t until the real threat is gone that he truly hesitates.




	11. Do Unto Others, Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Mary and me were both fucked by God,_   
>  _Mary and me were both fucked by--_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (Do Unto Others Pt. 2, by Mindless Self Indulgence) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

██████ watches her life cave in on itself.

  * “ _[_ _You have to take a Bride to end this coup with a treaty, don’t you? Leaving that girl alive is one loose end too many.]_ ”
    * Archelaus looks at her Bride.
    * He looks at Jehova.
    * He looks at the scattered corpses.
    * But he doesn’t look at her.
  * ██████‘s heart folds itself into nothing. All that’s left is Hollow and Empty.
  * They wed on the corpse of her father.



She’s stillborn as Lilith Idolodulia, and every record of her personhood is ink-stained into compliance.


	12. After All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the link to the song (After All, by The Cardigans) embedded below breaks, it should be readily available on any other major platform.

She turns on her side, ignoring the cries of her deformed newborn and the blood of her unmilked breasts.

“ _ You  _ always _ win, Archie. _ ”

  * The act of vengeance is less satisfying than Archie expected it to be, but at least the results go the way he expects.
    * With this loose end wrapped up neat and tidy, with his new Bride secured, and with most of the family immediately coming out and pledging Loyalty in the aftermath, Archie is in a stable enough position to tell Jehova to leave. There are no complaints about this on either side.
    * His absence is both a relief and a terror in itself.
    * Archie takes over HVN. He finishes their research by integrating and refining the resources they’d wanted; to his new employees’ delights, everything works perfectly--because, well, of course it would. It’s Archelaus, after all. He doesn’t miss.
    * Both Archie and Lilith try to connect, but while Lilith can’t muster the energy to hate him, she can’t muster the desire to care about him, either. Eventually, they try for children; there’s a few miscarriages, but the twins come without much trouble, and Christopher a few years after that. Her hopes for a girl are squashed with both litters. _Figures._



Though he’d never admit it, sometimes it feels like there’s something deep inside Archelaus that’s either missing or defective. Without a need or reason to fix it, his life passes by in blurs of shallow dissatisfaction.

For some reason, he never forgets Lilith’s wedding.


End file.
